Legislature Finalizes K-12 Budget

Liz Gullett

Jul 02, 2021

Ahead of the July 1 deadline, the House and Senate voted to approve a budget appropriating funding to K-12 schools for the upcoming fiscal year. Notably, the $17 billion budget includes a per-pupil increase that raises the state minimum funding from $8,111 to $8,700, closing the gap between the highest and lowest funded school districts.

Funding within the bill includes:

- $75 million for building upgrades at year-round schools
- $140 million deposit into the school employees’ retirement system
- $155 million for a reading scholarship program
- $240 million for school nurses, social workers, counselors, and psychologists

The budget will be sent to Governor Gretchen Whitmer for her consideration. Following passage by the legislature, she released a statement saying “I look forward to signing this legislation to expand the Great Start Readiness preschool program for 22,000 more children and connect more students to counselors, psychologists, and nurses in their schools. The bill also delivers on a decades-old goal to close the K-12 school funding gap.”

While the legislature was able to agree upon a final version of school aid funding, they recessed before finalizing budgets for higher education, community colleges, and the state departments, legislature, and executive office. Work on those budgets will continue in order to complete it prior to the start of the new fiscal year beginning on October 1, 2021.

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